Curriculum 7-8

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Grades 7-8

1. Objectives:

  • Developing a differentiated communication- and discourse ability
  • Developing the ability to reflect on language
  • Developing the ability to reflect on texts
  • Developing the ability to act on an intercultural basis
  • Developing the ability to use subject specific strategies

2. Contents to be covered:

  • Literature: short stories, children's / young adults' novels, poems, playlets
  • Insiders/ outsiders -> assuming responsibility
  • Commonwealth of Nations, Inuit, Native Americans, Early settlement, problems of immigration in minorities
  • Social problems
  • Romans in Britain
  • Electives: Sports (e.g.: cricket, snooker, baseball, American football …)

3. Occasions for working with digital media:

  • Personal student homepages
  • Class-/ school homepage
  • E-mail: pen pals
  • Chat

4. Concrete Projects:


Project Complex: Getting to know the American school system


step I - Internet research on the different school systems (German)


task: Try to find out more about schools in Germany on the Internet. In what way are they different from American schools?

a) aims
  • pupils shall do research on a specific task
  • pupils shall practice filtering of information

b) advantages
  • learners are responsible for acquiring relevant information
  • evaluation and comparison of information
  • enhancing information literacy

c) disadvantages
  • initial difficulty of data selection
  • organizational issues

step II - E-mail: pen pals


task: Initiate a conversation with your chosen American pen pal. Ask him or her what his/her school is like.


a) aims
  • adequate use of language
  • composing and understanding texts
  • encouraging communication
  • using and processing acquired pieces of information
  • establishing intercultural and interdisciplinary contacts
  • getting to know networks as a tool for communication

a) advantages of e-mail penpalships
  • contact with different cultures
  • authenticity (native speakers)
  • rapid exchange

b) disadvantages
  • organizational issues (PC availability)
  • limited control of learning progress
  • different speakers' levels may disturb fluency/efficiency of the project

step III - Presenting the American school system via Prezi.com


task: Compare the school system of both countries. Present your results on the Internet platform 'Prezi.com'.

a) aims
  • student know how to organize material on a subject
  • students find a way of putting this material into a graphical form

b) advantages of Prezi
  • easy handling
  • link ideas and present them as a whole vs. linear structure of PowerPoint
  • splitting of different areas of content are possible
  • (creative) visualization
  • free of charge

c) limitations
  • time-consuming visualization part
  • clear structure = necessary for overview

(step IV) - correspondence with the American school


  • share presentations with American schools
  • do some sort of "mirror" project